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Volume 2, Number 45 23 December 1985
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| - Fidonews - /|oo \ |
| (_| /_) |
| Fido and Fidonet _`@/_ \ _ |
| Users Group | | \ \\ |
| Newsletter | (*) | \ )) |
| ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
Publisher: Fido 1/1
Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
Review Editor: Allen Miller
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
Fidonews is published weekly by SEAboard, Fido 1/1. You are
encouraged to submit articles for publication in Fidonews.
Article submission standards are contained in the file
FIDONEWS.DOC, available from Fido 1/1.
Disclaimer or don't-blame-us:
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them;
everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
received.
SEASON'S GREETINGS
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL
Fido for the Deaf/Blind
2. NEWS
A Request to Writers of Online Documentation
TROFF
ITT XTRA USERS GROUP
Software Piracy -- What We Can Do
Libraries and Squeezed files: an Explanation
More Sysop Utility Updates
3. COLUMNS
PIBTERM Review
Rainbow Corner
4. WANTED
Fido's Wanted- Earn Money!
5. FOR SALE
6. NOTICES
The Interrupt Stack
Looking for Jim Filgo
John Epler, Where Are You?
============================================================
EDITORIAL
============================================================
This week's guest editorial is by Bdale Garbee, Fido 129/13.
Fido for the Deaf/Blind
Last week's issue of Fidonews contains an article from a
user of my board who is legally blind, and deaf as well. I
think the subject of his article is worthy of considerable
thought, and I hope everyone will take the time to both read
it and try what it suggests. Let me try and explain why...
There has been a fair amount of public chatter lately about
why an individual would want to be a Fido sysop. There was
even an editorial on the subject not long back. I do what I
do to serve as my contribution to the grass-roots space
movement. But in addition, the public nature of my system
has resulted in a fairly large user base, some of whom have
come almost to depend on the services provided.
The most obvious example of what I mean is Stu Turk, the
gentleman who wrote the article last week. He has found
Fido and Fidomail a far superior replacement for the
communications channels usually available to people with
hearing and/or sight impairments.
Stu suggests in his article that we as sysops and users of
Fido could do an awful lot of good by helping to introduce
deaf and blind people to our systems, to Fidomail, and to
the amateur radio Telegram service accessible via Fido. We
know how powerful these communications channels are for
us... think what they could mean to someone for whom many of
the traditional communications channels are worthless!
What's the incentive? If you really need one, consider the
following...
The possibility of Fido/Fidonet becoming a regular,
dependable part of the daily communications between D/B
people could be a way for Fido, and other BBS's, to become
somewhat more respectable. We would actually be providing a
real, public service to the handicapped. Imagine what would
happen if Congress or state governments then tried to impose
restrictions on the use of BBS's and modems! If we could
turn the tables in such a way that they were seen as taking
away a valuable service from the handicapped.... how far do
you think they'd get? Public opinion can be a VERY powerful
tool. Enough said on the subject.
Even if we aren't worried about all that.... it just gives
me a good feeling to know that my system is being used by
someone to do something they otherwise couldn't do, or at
least couldn't do as well. I think other sysops might end
up feeling the same way. Give it a try!
Fidonews Page 2 23 Dec 1985
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 3 23 Dec 1985
============================================================
NEWS
============================================================
John Plocher
Fido 121/90
A Request to Writers of Online Documentation
This is a response to the request for newsletter feedback
about the FidoNewsLetter layout. I just spent my last few
timeslices downloading and printing the FidoNewsLetters from
2-18 to 2-42. Up to about 2-26 or so, I could say PRINT
FIDOxxx.NWS and ignore the thing as it printed. But, then I
noticed that the header didn't always get printed on the top
of the paper! That got me thinking (a dangerous thing to do
ANYTIME!) about what Bdale said in his article about
document standards.
Why does FidoNews (or for that matter, any of the Fido
manuals) have to be sent out in a "print image" format? The
problems of doing things that way are numerous:
1) If your printer does things differently from the way the
file is set up for (8 lpi instead of 6lpi, compressed
print...) you have to hand edit the file to make it
work.
2) If you never print the thing, but only TYPE them out
while online, you have to wade through the page breaks
without losing those last few lines which seem to scroll
off the top before you can read them...
3) In the current incarnation of the text formatter used to
produce FidoNews (I assume its TEXTFORM?) every line has
8 to 10 spaces pre-pended to it. This INCLUDES BLANK
LINES! Indenting like that seems to be a great way to
make a 600 line (10 page) newsletter 5K to 6K LARGER
than it really should be! Could that be why ARC seems
to shrink the file OVER 50%?
Instead of just complaining, I offer this solution: Send
FidoNews out in an unprocessed format. (ie. with .pa
commands for page breaks, and a .he FidoNews Vol x Number xx
Page # command to set up the header.
That way anyone with WordStar (shudder), Tom Jenning's
TEXTFORM, or any of the nroff type formatters which
recognize the .he and .pa commands can print it out on their
own printer, and those who only want to read the thing while
online don't have to see the blank pages scroll by.
The programs:
TEXTFORM Tom Jenning's print formatter, -and-
PRINTWS My version thereof including ^char support
can both be downloaded from Fido 121/90, MidNet.
PS. Before I decided to print out the FidoNewsLetters, I had
Fidonews Page 4 23 Dec 1985
been using FGREP to search for articles which I wanted
to refer to. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who does
this sort of thing, so thus the following PLEA:
At the beginning of an article, include a line or
two or three labled with Keywords: and containing
words which describe what the article is about. If
you are replying to someone's article, use some of
his/her keywords, also, so your article will show up
in the list with the one it references.
Things like that would make it feasable to implement
some sort of index generator to produce a subject index
for the newsletter. Sound useful? Let me know how you
feel! (I took the chance and stuck my neck out in this
FidoNewsLetter; so can you!)
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 5 23 Dec 1985
TROFF
by Rich Gough Fido 129/13
(I wrote this story 3 years ago for the Pittsburgh Area
Computer Club newsletter to spoof the movie "TRON", but it
still seems apropriate. Send me some fido mail if you have
comments about it.)
On cold winter evenings, I spend a lot of time sitting
at my home computer. Last night however, very strange
things started happening while I was loading the operating
system. I meant to type "LOAD CPM", but I goofed and
put "LOAD MCP" instead. Suddenly, my fingers started
to disintegrate, then my hands and my arms. I was being
sucked through the CRT piece by piece!
I woke up in a strange universe where personal
computers are computers that own people, while corporate
computers actually run huge corporations (instead of
only seeming to as they do here). I found myself at a
computer club meeting, which is where a bunch of computers
get together to nibble on sugar-coated diskettes and
gripe about the people they own. The people they bring
with them to the meeting usually just sit on a table
and hum to themselves.
Apparently, different types of personal computers
prefer different kinds of people. (The computers usually
call their particular person their "user".) A small
video game system angrily pointed a joystick at his user
and said, "This jerk wants me to run Accounts Payable
and then complains about how slow I am! I've only got 8
bits. What should I have expected for a measely hundred
bucks! I should have gotten some teenage kid who would
let me do what I do best - shoot down spaceships and
munch dots."
"You think you've got problems", moaned a powerful
16-bit system. "My user has one dumb spreadsheet
package, and that's all he runs! I wish he'd get some
interesting software, something that would use me to my
full potential. Maybe some business graphics once in a
while to keep me in shape."
"At least your user gives you something to do once in
a while", said a dusty system as he brushed the cobwebs
from his keyboard. "My user and I don't communicate. He
wouldn't know a Move Register instruction if I hit him
over the head with it. I even bought a BASIC interpreter
for him, but he won't bother to learn how to use it. If I
don't get a break to the boredom soon, sometime I think
I'm just going to pull my plug." He choked "I'd even do
biorhythms for him."
"What are biorhythms?" asked one of the newest
machines. An old Altair in a grey metal cabinet
spoke up. "Biorhythms were charts that were
supposed to tell when your user would operate at peak
Fidonews Page 6 23 Dec 1985
efficiency, but they were never very accurate. What you
need for that is a special-purpose diagnostic user--they're
called psychiatrists."
The game system who had spoken first said, "I
guess the problem is, we just didn't think about what
kind of user we wanted before we each went out and bought
one."
The 16 bit system said, "The problem is, we
just didn't think, period."
The dusty system said, "Didn't we buy users to do the
thinking for us?"
I was about to speak up and add my two bytes worth,
when I heard a terrible crash and the lights went out. I
woke up sitting at my computer and the CRT screen said
"MEMORY SIZE", meaning that its' memory had been erased.
I could hear the refrigerator running - it must have cut
on and dropped the line voltage. It was late, and I
had to get up early for work the next morning, so I turned
the system off. Next weekend (after I unplug the
refrigerator) I'm going to try to load that diskette again
and tell those computers what it is like to be a user. If
I don't come back, well, I wanted all of you to know
what happened.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 7 23 Dec 1985
Marv Shelton
Fido 107/311
ITT XTRA Users Group
As a user of an ITT Xtra PC I am trying to start a nation-
wide users group via FidoNet. Currently there are two
fido's involved. Fido 107/311 the XTRA BBS located in
Clifton, NJ and Fido 114/446 Xtra #1 located in Arizona.
These two Fido's will serve as the east and west region
headquarters for information on the ITT Xtra PC. We are
asking all owners and users of ITT Xtras to contact either
of these Fido's via FidoNet with the following information:
1. Name and net/node#
2. Configuration of ITT equipment (#drives,RAM,etc)
3. Address ( for fortcoming newsletter)
4. Comments and suggestions on the user's group
goals and objectives.
We will be compiling a list of hardware and software that
functions with and without patches for the ITT Xtra as well
as providing technical reviews, findings and information
about upcoming products. Employees of ITT and its many
various divisions are especially welcome (please note
this in your introductory information).
CONTACT VIA FIDONET
FIDO 107/311 THE XTRA BBS..........SYSOP MARV SHELTON
FIDO 114/446 THE XTRA #1...........SYSOP JOE KENNEDY
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 8 23 Dec 1985
Software Piracy -- A Personal Opinion
Software piracy has been around for what seems like
forever. Since the beginning of software, people have
copied friends' software, and thought nothing of it. I'm
writing this because I feel that people SHOULD think
something of it, and we should start telling people not to
copy software.
Don't walk away from your monitor thinking, "Oh, boy.
Here comes another lecture on how to use software
correctly." My reason for writing is just as a concerned
user, not as a commercial programmer, not as a person whose
income depends on advertisements from software companies,
and not as a relative or friend of someone who wants me to
write it. I see people copying disks all of the time, and I
think that it's time that we took a stand.
The first users of computers were, as we know, the
hackers. These hackers, as detailed in Steven Levy's book
"Hackers," (an excellent book, by the way), felt that
programs should be shared between fellow hackers. When
commercial software came out, the authors did not follow
this code of conduct, but instead, told people that they
must buy their own copy of a program if they want to use it.
Over the years, more and more people have started to
copy software. Today, most people who buy software will
willingly make a copy of it for a friend who seems
interested. No longer is it just the people who write copy
programs who pirate; everyone else can have the programs for
-- what else? -- a copy.
Before I outline several of the methods that have been
used to deter pirating, let me just make one thing clear, in
case my opinion hasn't been understood yet: Pirating is
STEALING. Yes, stealing. Pirating software is the same as
Xeroxing a book for a friend who wants it. If I gave out
free copies of an Isaac Asimov book, wouldn't that be
illegal? The same with software -- except that it costs the
disk space and nothing more.
The first method, and by far the most common, is that of
copy "protection." For those of you who might not know,
this usually involves changing the disk format so that the
computer can read from the disk, but cannot write to it.
There are different levels of copy protection -- some can be
copied file-by-file but not a disk at a time, while on some
others, you can't even get a directory.
Copy protection, in my opinion, is wrong. Period. It
just adds a little to the cost of the software (although it
costs no more to mass-copy disks, the company has to pay
another company to protect them), is usually (if not always)
broken into and copied and distributed, and makes it harder
for us regular people to make back-ups.
Several software companies have now started including
Fidonews Page 9 23 Dec 1985
two or three copies of the software with the package. A few
other companies, in order to get people to send in their
warranties, give them the additional copies only after they
have registered as users of the software. This helps, but
is not perfect.
Why, you may ask, am I so much against copy protection?
I'll tell you -- I'm a real klutz, and on several occasions
I've done different things to destroy disks. Granted, they
weren't my originals, and the greater percentage of them
were programs that could be re-written easily, but had the
software been copy-protected, I would have been out $50 or
$100. I'd rather make a back-up copy or two, and use that.
In the event that I accidentally erase my disk, I don't want
to have to either pay or waste two weeks of my time just to
get another copy.
A few companies, such as Microsoft, let you make a
limited number of copies. This is better, but has the same
drawbacks as giving you two or three copies -- what if you
lunch all of them? And still other companies use a "key
disk," which means that you can copy their software to your
heart's content, so long as you have the original disk in at
the beginning. That's just as bad a regular protection.
What if the original gets ruined? You can't use the copies,
since they're useless without the original. Borland
International (see later on about them) marketed their
SideKick program with this kind of protection. Within a
month, so many letters of complaint had arrived that they
offered a higher-priced version, with no protection. That's
very fair, and showed that they are a company that listens
to its users.
The second most-common way of protecting software is by
using a hardware key. I've used these on several occasions,
and although I prefer them to software protection, I detest
having to put this little thingy into my computer each time
I want to use the program. I work on several different
computers, and when I want to take a program back from
school to work on at home, I don't want to have to plug
something into the game port, or carry around an extra
expansion card.
I'll admit that this is much better than plain
copy-protection on many grounds. First and formost, I like
being able to make back-ups of the software, so that if I
trash a disk, I can always make another back-up. Secondly,
it lets me roam free with my software, only carrying a
little thing, rather than the original diskette (but I still
like back-ups; see above).
Unfortunately, there are many more disadvantages than
advantages with hardware protection. As I said before, I
would rather carry a hardware key with me than an original
disk, but who wants to carry it, and what if it breaks?
Also -- if my friend wants to see the software (NOT copy it,
just see it), and I go over to his house or bring it to
school, knowing me, I'll forget the key.
Fidonews Page 10 23 Dec 1985
The third method to deter pirating, and the only one
which I endorse, is low prices and no protection. That's
it. I personally refuse to pay more than $100 for a
program, or for one that is protected in any way. Many
companies have started endorsing this policy, and it works.
Two companies from whom I've bought software, Beagle Bros.
(for the Apple II's that I use), and Borland International
(I bought Turbo Pascal from them) are examples of companies
that have not done just well, but EXTREMELY well from
selling low-cost software with no protection.
People, in general, don't like to be policed, and when
given the choice, probably go for no protection. Using the
example I used before, I have no doubt that sales of
unprotected SideKick outnumber protected sales by 10 to one.
As for companies like Lotus and Microsoft, well, I just hope
that one day they lower their prices. Microsoft has already
started unprotecting Access and Chart, and in due time,
Lotus will probably do the same with some of their products.
The reason that they can keep doing that is because it's
mainly huge corporations who buy their products, and to them
$600 is pennies.
I'd just like to say two more things before you go on
with your reading. Firstly, we have to think of the other
side of the coin, the software company. I'm sure some
employee of a software firm is reading this and saying that
what I said is unfair. Well, I do understand that there is
a lot of time and expense put into any piece of software,
and most companies are just trying to get their money back.
My argument on that point is that any software publisher
who puts out a product at, let's say, $100, will get at
least as many customers as at, say, $600. The companies who
would buy it at the higher price will probably buy more
copies for their use, and the small business and home use
will get it because it does a good job for a great price.
Secondly, I'm not alone. I don't know any other people
personally who agree with my philosophy, but I do know that
several major software firms have started taking off
protection. MicroPro, makers of WordStar, protected
WordStar 2000 for the first month or so, and because of so
many letters of complaint, unprotected it. Microsoft has
now taken the protection off of their Chart and Project
software. Scarborough Systems, Inc. is no longer
protecting its IBM versions of software.
To finish up, I believe in the 3P software philosophy --
Priced under $100, no Protection, and no Piracy. I think
that if everyone in the computer industry bought software
according to that method, we'd have a lot fewer problems.
Reuven Lerner
FidoMail 107/33
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 11 23 Dec 1985
From: David Drexler/Mark Grennan, sysops REMARK 19/202
Subject: Libraries and Squeezed files: an Explanation
Date: 10 DEC 85
Among the most frequently asked questions on REMARK
are: "What are .LBR files?", and "How do I use files like
TEXT.TQT?" Those of you who have been working with micros
for years will probably not find this article very useful;
the rest of you: lissen up!
Nearly any filename extension that has a 'Q' as the
second letter (ex. TEXT.TQT, FILE.QQQ, PROG.CQ) has been
packed with a variant of SQ. SQ uses an algorithm known as
Hoffman Dynamic to compress a file so that there are no
repeating bit patterns in it. Before the file can be used in
any way, it must be unpacked with USQ, NUSQ, or a similar
program. SQueezed files, whether originating on MSDOS or
CP/M, can be unsqueezed on either system.
Files with the .LBR filename extension are library
files created with LU or one of its many variations. A
library is a collection of files, tacked together end-to-
end, with an index at the head to identify each of them.
Library files are likewise portable between MSDOS and CP/M.
The primary reasons for using libraries are to (a) collect a
group of related files into a single unit for organizational
purposes, and (b) to save disk space.
Libraries are great for grouping an executable together
with its documentation and source code; when you download a
library, you'll likely find that all the pieces are there in
one unit. Likewise, you should put those sorts of files into
a library before you upload to a board.
A file that contains fewer bytes than the operating
system's allocation unit size (4096 bytes under MSDOS) still
reserves the full allocation unit on disk. For example, a
file that is 10 bytes long on an MSDOS system takes up the
full 4k allocation unit on disk. Ten such files would use
only 100 bytes in actual space, and would waste nearly 40k
of disk space! If those same 10 files were collected to-
gether into a library as a single file, only 4k of disk
space would be reserved.
Files are SQueezed for similar reasons; if the un-
squeezed file takes up just a little bit over an allocation
unit, then squeezing it will save some disk space. Another
reason why files are squeezed, and put into libraries (if
they are libraryized and then squeezed, the filename exten-
sion is .LQR) is to reduce transfer time over the modem.
Sysops often squeeze files that are already smaller than 4k
for that reason.
A discussion of library and compaction programs
wouldn't be complete without a mention of ARC, one of the
most useful of this genre of utilities for MSDOS (we hope
that it will eventually be available for CP/M - Thom?) ARC
performs the functions of both a library program, and a file
Fidonews Page 12 23 Dec 1985
compression program, in one step, and is far more efficient,
versatile, and easier to use, than any others I have encoun-
tered. Rather than go into detail here, I will suggest that
you obtain the documentation and examine it. Thom Henderson,
editor and distributor of Fido News, is the author of ARC.
REMARK Information System
(405) 728-2463 - Fido 19/202
The board for serious computerists
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 13 23 Dec 1985
More Sysop Utility Updates
by
Bob Hartman
Sysop Fido 132/101
The UN*X Gateway
and Home of Rovermsg
Well, after many moons I have finally updated another
Sysop favorite, the FILEDATE program. As many of you know,
this is a program which creates a file containing a list of
all files that are listed in all of your FILES.BBS files,
along with their creation date, what directory they are in,
their size, and the description that goes along with them.
This is useful for each Fido node to do, since a user can
then T)ype this file and see which files have been recently
updated or changed (after the file gets run through the sort
program, the most recently changed files are listed first).
Anyway, on some strange versions of DOS, this command used
to give the strange error "can't chdir(directory)", where
directory was a valid Fido directory. Worse yet, it would
actually leave you in that directory after saying it could
not get there! Well, I think that I have fixed the problem,
and the new version should work properly. Any Fido sysops
that would like the new version can call my board at any
time and download it from the FIDO file section.
Also, I have released version 2.14 of Rovermsg. This
new version has some nice enhancements including the fact
that if you use the 'RK' (reply and kill) command, then
abort the message, Rovermsg will not delete the original.
Also, Rovermsg and SEAdog and Fido can all understand each
other. There were some problems with Rovermsg not being
able to read messages created on a SEAdog system, but that
has been fixed.
Oh well, that is all I have for this week, but I am
hoping to have some more news about Rovermsg, Filer, Renum,
and Filedate in the near future.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 14 23 Dec 1985
============================================================
COLUMNS
============================================================
Allen Miller
PIBTERM Review
I have been using PIBTERM v3.2 communications
software for about 2 months now and think it is just great.
Having used many commercial communications programs as well
as several public domain programs, I just wanted to share my
experience with this one with you. PIBTERM is written by
Philip Burns and distributed for free for noncommercial use.
The source code is also available.
I run a Fido electronic bulletin board (net/node
108/10) and enjoy the nice features of the Telink file
transfer protocol; namely supporting batch transfer and
original DOS file size and time/date stamp. PIBTERM
supports Telink file transfer protocol as well as Xmodem
checksum and CRC, Modem7 checksum and CRC, Ymodem, Kermit,
ASCII and Compuserve 'B'.
PIBTERM has a dialing directory which is stored as
a straight record oriented ASCII file. This is particularly
nice since you can use your favorite editor if you want to
add several entries at one time. Also you can easily SORT
the file alphabeti-cally or by area code using as unpowerful
a program as the DOS SORT routine. I use a .BAT file which
FINDs all records with an entry, pipes to SORT and outputs
to the directory file to periodi-cally maintain my dialing
directory. PIBTERM also has a built in area code directory.
You supply the area code and PIBTERM will tell you where it
is or you supply a state and PIBTERM will tell you what area
codes are covered.
PIBTERM emulates several terminal types: VT52,
VT100, ANSI, dumb terminal and dumb terminal in split-screen
mode. VT52 is good to use with Compuserve, ANSI works well
for the BBS's with their color graphics and music, VT100
works for many main-frames and the split-screen is a must
for conferencing on net-works.
PIBTERM supports capturing of session to printer
or disk and has macro-key definition capability. PIBTERM
has a script language similar to those of $200 commercial
communi-cations programs. You can setup completely
automated sessions with this script language. PIBTERM also
has a built in HOST mode to use for unattended access to a
PC for limited file transfer and message functions.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 15 23 Dec 1985
Rainbow Corner
by Theodore Needleman
Last week's column speculated on the fate of the Rainbow.
This week we know - it has been repackaged as the Rainbow
190. Big deal! While I am glad to see that the Rainbow
line will not just fade into oblivion, I was hoping for
something more than a "Super 100+". Except for the new
software, some of you are already running Rainbow 190's.
Anyone who has a 256K Rainbow 100+, with the "Gold Key"
keyboard option, just needs one of those little "190" plates
and a piece of double-stick tape.
Don't get me wrong. I think that DEC will be successful in
selling the 190 into their existing VAX user base. I saw
the Rainbow Office Workstation and WPS-PLUS/Rainbow Software
packages at their March 4th Merrimack press conference. If
you're running All-in-1 or WPS you're gonna love them.
The problem I foresee is that DEC appears to be abandoning
not only the retail market, but the small business entry-
level market as well. According to Henry Ancona, Group
Manager-Office and Information Systems, "...stand-alone
personal computing in the office is a thing of the past".
Well, Henry, maybe in your office, where they have a
VAX/8600 or two, but there are plenty of one, two, and three
person offices (and small businesses). Lots of these people
are getting into computers for the first time. Maybe
they'll buy a MicroVax, maybe a $6500 Rainbow 190, or a
$3500 Rainbow 100. Most likely they are going to buy a
$2500 IBM-PC. People tend to buy products from companies
that want to sell to them. IBM has been selling electric
typewriters to one person businesses for a long time (and
has been more than happy to do this). Over the years
they've sold a whole lot of typewriters. They also are more
than happy to sell you a computer. You want a real big one?
OK. A real little one? That's fine too., Want to buy one
today? You won't even have to hunt around. Just go to your
nearby Computerland, Entre, MicroAge, Sears Business Center
or IBM Product Center, pay your money, and take your system.
DEC's positioning of the Rainbow as an adjunct to the VAX
may be realistic marketing, but it's also extremely
arrogant. Not everyone can afford to spring into full
blown, heavy-duty data processing. Some of us would prefer
to grow into it, one "baby-step" at a time. Rumors still
abound about an IBM-compatible Rainbow. Hope springs
eternal!
Enough diatribe, on to other business. Last week I also
discussed Rainbow resources. One of the resources mentioned
was Bulletin Board Systems. I recently came across an
interesting one. Located in Boston, DEC-Line is a FIDO-net
BBS specializing in the coverage of DEC's Rainbow. Run by
SYSOP (system operator) Bill MacNeill, this BBS offers over
a hundred public domain software programs for the MS-DOS and
CP/M operating systems, as well as a separate area for
MBASIC programs. Some of these programs look really useful
Fidonews Page 16 23 Dec 1985
and I will be reporting on a few of them after I have had a
chance to use them for a week or two.
In addition to the public domain software, DEC-Line also has
a message area. This is a good place to "meet" people, ask
questions, or share information. DEC-Line operates more-or-
less 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 300 or 1200 baud (8
bits, no parity, 1 stop bit). You can reach it at 617/721-
1688. Give DEC-Line a call. I think you'll like it. When
you do, be sure to leave a message to the SYSOP that you
heard about DEC-Line here at Rainbow Corner.
The last piece of business for this week's column is a
modest proposal. One of the problems in being a Rainbow
owner is finding software that runs on your system. Sure,
the Rainbow Referral Software Guide lists about 1400
programs, but this is a small percentage of the estimated
30,000 to 50,000 programs supposedly available for the IBM-
PC. Many of these "generic" MS-DOS programs, as well as
CP/M-80 programs, will run on the Rainbow. Transferring
them onto RX-50 media is not a tremendous problem (see the
article in the MARCH '85 HARDCOPY), just a bit time
consuming. Thinking about all those programs that might run
on the Rainbow gave me an idea. I call it "PROJECT
TRANSPORT".
"PROJECT TRANSPORT" involves a concerted effort to obtain
software released in formats for "other" computers, port it
over to the Rainbow, test it to see how (or if) it runs, and
report the results. As the project progresses, the results
would be reported here in Rainbow Corner, with the intention
of publishing an annual (or bi-annual) compendium. Nothing
too fancy, you understand. Just the name of the program,
its provider, the original system it was intended for, the
porting method, whether or not it ran on the Rainbow, and,
if so, how well.
I need your help with this, in the form of some feedback.
Take a moment, and write to me. It doesn't have to be a
letter, or postcard, I'll give my Source ID, and MCI mail
address, as well as my P.O. Box. Let me know what you think
of "PROJECT TRANSPORT" (YES, NO, or YAWN). Are there
programs (or types of programs) in particular you would like
to see tested? If there's a specific piece of software
you'd like to see tested, I'll contact the author and
request a review/loaner copy. Are there packages you have
already ported and tested? If so, I'll report the results.
So drop me a line. Letters and postcards should go to IDEA
TECHNOLOGY, P.O. Box 668, New City, NY 10956. SourceMail to
TCA920, and MCI mail to "THEODORE NEEDLEMAN".
See you next week.
(c)opyright 1985 by Ted Needleman-all rights reserved
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 17 23 Dec 1985
============================================================
WANTED
============================================================
Steve Nyman
Fido 107/22
NEED FIDO'S TO PRINT E-MAIL
My company, Micro Information Services, needs Fido's from
across the U.S. to receive our customer's e-mail, print it
and mail it via U.S. Mail. We anticipate moderate mail
volume, depending upon the region.
NO COST TO YOU: All envelopes, paper, and postage will be
provided in advance.
PROFITS: You will be paid for your services.
IF INTERESTED: Direct inquiries via e-mail to Steve Nyman
on Fido 107/22. Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 18 23 Dec 1985
============================================================
FOR SALE
============================================================
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
G R A P H I C S B O A R D O P T I O N
A N D G S X - 8 6 S O F T W A R E
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have SIX (6) PC-1XX-BA graphics
options for the DEC Rainbow available
at up to +25% off. These are new.
PRICING:
DECUS MEMBERS: OPTION- $335.00
TAX (Cal only) 20.10
SHIPPED FED. EX. 15.00
-------
TOTAL $370.10
OTHERS: OPTION- $350.00
TAX (CA. only) 21.00
SHIPPED FED. EX. 15.00
-------
$386.00
Cashiers checks or Money orders may be
sent to Advanced Software Applications
5258 Vickie Drive
San Diego, Ca 92109
(619) 488-5258
Decus members must include your member-
ship number. Orders will be taken on a
first come first served basis.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 19 23 Dec 1985
============================================================
NOTICES
============================================================
The Interrupt Stack
24 Jan 1986
Voyager 2 passes Uranus.
9 Feb 1986
Halley's Comet reaches perihelion.
9 Feb 1986
Diana Overholt (109/74) has another birthday.
11 Apr 1986
Halley's Comet reaches perigee.
19 May 1986
Steve Lemke's next birthday.
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to Fido 1/1.
------------------------------------------------------------
Will Jim Filgo, Fido 131/445, please call Fido 1/1 to pick
up his mail?
------------------------------------------------------------
Will John Epler please contact Mark Perloe at Fido 900/15 or
at Cserve 73047,1345.
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 20 23 Dec 1985

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